Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I walked in late to a happy hour this week and my co-worker Mallory asked what took me so long. Kristen suggested that I couldn’t get away from my desk because I was too busy working on Fantasy Football.

Is it sad that she was right?

I don’t spend all day working on my team but like Facebook or Google Reader- it’s something I check on a daily basis. In the mornings and evenings I like to see what activity is happening on the waiver wire. As I read and learn breaking news from Google Reader I like to check my sites to see if I can take advantage of an injury or promotion.

I have my fantasy football obession down to a weekly routine:

Monday

There’s still some football left to play but I’m already analyzing the week that just finished- who were the top performers? What injuries might come into play for the upcoming week? Who is out there that I can pick up to improve my team?

Tuesday

The week in football is officially over and my victories and losses have been officially tallied in my leagues. The big goal on Tuesdays is to look at my team and the upcoming week- where am I going to be strong, where am I going to be weak? This is also the day I’ll make all my waiver wire claims in my work league (my Yahoo leagues let me add/drop at will, so by Tuesday I’ve already picked up all the players I need.)

Wednesday

Now that Thursday Night Football is back in style I make all my picks for the week. Both for my money pick’em pool and the side competition I have with my intern Peter. I also do a quick look at my lineup make some preliminary changes.

Thursday

By Thursday all the podcasts I regularly listen to have posted their thoughts on the upcoming week. It makes great listening material when you are on the Metro or in the gym.

Friday

I will look at my lineup and the rankings out there and make and adjust my lineup for Sunday. Using a lot of the rankings I read I will make choices on which kickers/defenses I should add/drop. I always play matchups with those positions. If I have time I’ll post my weekly rant on football on my blog as well.

Saturday

Am I caught up on those podcasts? Just getting excited about the next week in football!

Sunday

The big day! If I have a lazy Sunday I’ll have time to watch some of the pre-game shows for some last minute news and prep. I will have set my final lineups set and I have my computers ready to crunch scores as I watch the games! I cross my fingers and hope I win my games; if not I know that tomorrow I get to start all over again.

So maybe football does take a lot of my day- but to me it’s a fun obsession hobby and hey it only lasts 16 weeks.

Now on to week 10!

TMG Sportsline League (6-3)

Pho Sho vs. Wide-Eyed Pumas

Thanks to soild performances from Brandon Jacobs, Matt Forte, and even my kicker Rob Bironas; I was able to take out Josie last week. There are a few more weeks to go and it’s definitely crunch time in my league as I hope to clinch the wild card spot and make the playoffs! This week I play Lisa in what I hope to be another victory. Hopefully this will be the last week before Tony Romo (he’s my quarterback) can get back into the game.

Yahoo! League (5-2-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. Roondogs

Last week wasn’t so great in this league- my team was weakened due to the bye weeks and I had no chance as Falkor rolled me like a lollipop. I now owe him a case of beer. My team is back at full strength with LT and I should be able to take on Sean and his Favre-led team. Trust me I know what it’s like to have Favre on your team, wasn’t as great as I thought. In this league I’m also waiting for Romo to return and I am handing the ball to Chad Pennington, the quarterback I used in my first fantasy football team. Problem is that two years ago he really sucked but now he’s looking really good. Let’s hope I see more of the new Chad and less of the old one.

Diet Yahoo! League (7-2)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. CoolMyTeamSucksNow

I got the L last week in this league too. I was kinda surprised to see my opponent go up really quick but taking a second look at his team I saw that I clearly underestimated his receivers. Now I am tied for first place in this league and I hope to stay up there with another win. But no promises in a league where everybody such ridiculous rosters.

I was hoping to be able to watch some of the Patriots this week but I’ll be in the middle of moving my life- more on that soon.

Tags: brandon jacobs, chad pennington, facebook, fantasy football, google, ladanian tomlinson, matt forte, metro, rob bironas, tony romo

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Well it’s halfway through the NFL season and more than halfway through the fantasy football season. I thought I’d take this moment to take a closer look at my players at the halfway point:

TMG Sportsline League (5-3)

Pho Sho vs. Zorntown Gorillaz

Right now I am second in my division and David is running away with the division title but I should be able to get into the playoffs if I can keep the wins coming. This week will be a challenging matchup against Josie Josie’s husband. He’s been a monster in our work league but like the Indianapolis Colts, he hasn’t started out great this season. I’m going up a really stud lineup including a WR core of Larry Fitgerald, Plaxico Burress, and Greg Jennings. I’m lucky that LT is on a bye or else I’d have no chance.

My team this season is off to a better start than last year- where I lost a whole string of games in the first half. Owning Tony Romo has been clutch and I’ll be leaning on him after he comes back from that pinky injury. While Larry Johnson has fulfilled my expectations of being a terrible first round pick, Brandon Jacobs has done a servicable job and Matt Forte as been a pleasant surprise. Thomas Jones is also doing ok- not exactly the breakout play that was hyped in the preseason but he’s already doing better than last season.

I owned Larry Fitgerald last year and this year I own Anquan Boldin- I can’t tell you how much I enjoy owning one of the two Cardinals recievers. Roddy White has to be my late round pick of the year- he’s really shaping up to be a top 10 reciever. Santonio Holmes has been a dissapointment, leaving me in a constant shuffle to fill that 3rd roster spot. Heath Miller has also dissapointment- and still sits on the waiver wire after I dropped him for Zach Miller.

Yahoo! League (5-1-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. Falkor’s Misfits

This will be another staunch matchup against Falkor, this week we put a sidebet on the game and I suspect I will have to go and buy him a case of beer after this week. Without LT on this team to play, my depth at RB is exposed. Falkor on the other hand has the power duo of Marion Barber and Clinton Portis. I should just got to the store now and have the case ready.

This team has been getting by- like I said my RB depth is terrible, besides LT and TJ I’ve been trying to build depth off the wire. I also have what should be a great roster of WRs: Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, and Torry Holt- three names which are bigger than their actual performance this season. I am second in this league and Falkor is third- that will probably change as I expect to take the L (maybe Donnie Avery can score me 3 TDs.)

Diet Yahoo! League (7-1)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. ChrisIsATrannyName

Bye weeks aren’t really hitting this team so I will be at full strength this week. McFadden is still battling injuries- which caused me to pick up Justin Fargas and now once again I own all the RBs in Oakland. Darren McFadden is a bit of a bust for me so far and I really gotta find a chance to dump him. I am happy to grab Tim Hightower- I’ve been watching him all season and I think he’s going to have a breakout 2nd half.

I love this team because the league is so ridiculously shallow- I feel like I drafted pretty good and it’s shown. My RB core is anchored with Brian Westbrookand Marshawn Lynch while Satana Moss, Reggie Wayne, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh have done me well. There’s a lot of add/dropping in this league so I was able to bolster this lineup with Wes Welker & Torry Holt (man I love having Holt- but he’s still sucking.) Drafting Carson Palmer and Big Ben hasn’t really worked out but since this league is so shallow- I just picked up Kurt Warner and once again I have a top 5 QB. Right now I am in first and I’m trying to hold on.

Very excited to watch the Patriots tongiht- it’s going to be a really tough match and I’m already nervous about our chances to win. I also picked up Kevin Faulk in a couple of leagues so I’ll have one more player to root for tonight.

Tags: anquan boldin, brandon jacobs, colts, fantasy football, greg jennings, heath miller, ladanian tomlinson, larry fitzgerald, larry johnson, matt forte, plaxico burress, roddy white, santonio holmes, thomas jones, tony romo, zach miller

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

When playing Fantasy Football it’s always good to have choices- we call this depth.

Sometimes I feel like I have too much depth when it comes to certain positions- while it’s great with bye weeks and injuries, it’s sometimes tough to choose when all none of your choices stand out. Take a look at my Week 6 previews:

TMG Sportsline League (4-1)

Pho Sho vs. Caroline’s Crew

Brandon Jacobs scored 25 points in Week 5… however he sat on my bench as I won my matchup against Len. My main RBs consist of Brandon Jacobs, Matt Forte, Larry Johnson, and Thomas Jones. Luckily LJ is sucking and I think I’m good with the combo of Jacobs and Forte most weeks- with some TJ plucked in there when needed.

Caroline has been rolling the league this season and I’m nervous about this matchup- but I got my best lineup out there so we can only hope.

Yahoo! League (4-0)

Pho Shizzle vs. Victorious Secret

I have no depth at Running Back: Just LT and TJ. However I seem to have enough wide recievers for 2 NFL teams: Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, DeSean Jackson, Bobby Engram, Roy Williams,
Santonio Holmes, Donald Driver… and I may get Torry Holt off the wire. Great list right? It would be if any of those players played to their expectations. None of them really have thus I play receiver roulette every week.

Diet Yahoo! League (4-1)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. Gold. Pants. Bitch.

I took the loss I thought I was going to have last week, but I hope to bounce back with a soft lineup that LJ is going to throw at me. I have ok depth on this team but when you play in a six-team league, depth doesn’t matter so much to me- I can pick up almost anybody I think will be hot off the wire.

Ok well that’s the football for this week- I’m excited to be watching the Patriots on Sunday Night Football back in Massachusetts- go Pats!

Tags: bobby engram, brandon jacobs, braylon edwards, desean jackson, donald driver, fantasy football, jerricho cotchery, ladanian tomlinson, larry johnson, matt forte, patriots, roy williams, santonio holmes, thomas jones, torry holt

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Once again my weekly football post is late thanks to a business trip weekend.

I was winning 2 out of 3 leagues coming into Monday Night last week. In my Yahoo! league Mike was beating me by 21 points. The last hope I had was LaDanian Tomlinson and Thomas Jones. As I was watching the Jets/Chargers game I was rooting for my running backs to catch up. Jones only ended up scoring me one point but LT managed to close the gap from 21 points to 2. By the 4th quarter San Diego was up 41-22 and LT was being used to run out the clock- but would he run the 20+ yards I’d need to score? I was chatting with my pal Sean online:

Dmbosstone (11:13:50 PM): dude are you seeing the game between me and Mike?
smr12 (11:13:58 PM): yea!
smr12 (11:14:00 PM): its crazy

**San Diego rushes all the way to the New York 2-yard line**
Dmbosstone (11:14:15 PM): omg
Dmbosstone (11:14:19 PM): give LT the goal line carry
Dmbosstone (11:14:21 PM): and i’ll win
smr12 (11:14:27 PM): haha i know

**Tomlinson runs in for the TOUCHDOWN**

Dmbosstone (11:14:55 PM): YES
Dmbosstone (11:14:56 PM): YES
Dmbosstone (11:14:58 PM): YES
smr12 (11:15:00 PM): hahahaha
Dmbosstone (11:15:03 PM): LT IS MY BABY
That is why I play fantasy football.

Ok here’s where I stand after Week 4:

TMG Sportsline League (3-1)

I’m now tied in my division after a total domination of Corey’s team. Larry Johnson came through for me after many experts doubted ability to perform against Denver.

Yahoo! League (3-0)

I’m pulling out wins but I’m growing concerned with Braylon Edwards- I hope starts to perform soon. I actually have lots of depth for wide receivers but I am bone dry at Running Back. After LT and TJ- I got nothing. I’m hoping to grab some depth off the waiver wire.

Diet Yahoo! League (4-0)

I have a lot of my studs on bye this week- luckily I have been able to pick up some suitable replacements thanks to the shallowness of the league. Carson Palmer hasn’t been doing anything for me so far this year- unfortunately he might be my starter unless I can find somebody else off the wire.

Even though I’m having a great fantasy season- my pick’em season has been just terrible. I guess I can pick the players but I can’t call the games.

Tags: braylon edwards, carson palmer, chargers, fantasy football, jets, ladanian tomlinson, larry johnson, thomas jones

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

His name is no longer Chad Johnson. It’s Ocho Cinco.

The wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals has legally changed his last name from Johnson to Ocho Cinco- his nickname that he conceived in 2006 during the this talk with the press (I highly suggest you listen to entire 8+ minutes- it’s great stuff.)

Back in 2007 he ran into a game wearing a jersey with an “Ocho Cinco” patch attached over his last name which was removed- now his uniforms will actually have his new last name. This is a move you can only expect from a guy with a big ego. CBS Sportsline summarizes his hjinks well:

The change to Ocho Cinco is the receiver’s latest promotional move. He’s also known for his touchdown celebrations, his golden Mohawk for one season, his race against a horse and his list of defensive backs who failed to cover him.

Ok in other news I finally got my third (and final) league set up. The Yahoo! league I do with Sean every year got autodrafted at the last minute before last night’s Redskins/Giants game. This league has been autopicking teams for a few years now but Sean and I starting talking about a live draft. Unfortunately we couldn’t move on it quick enough but I think this league will live draft next year. I can’t wait. Luckily the computers over at Yahoo! have been kind to me:

Yahoo! League (Pho Shizzle)

• QB: Tony Romo (This must be the curse of Jessica Simpson- the 2nd team I got him in)
• QB: Kurt Warner (Love this guy as a backup- I think he has lots of upside)
• RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (2nd year in a row baby! In the random draw I got first pick so that means I get LT for another year)
• RB: Thomas Jones (Am I high on this guy? I have him in all three of my teams now)
• RB: Ricky Williams
• WR: Braylon Edwards
• WR: Santonio Holmes
• WR: Jerricho Cotchery
• WR: Donald Driver
• WR: Nate Burleson
• TE: Dallas Clark (Let’s hope Peyton listens to those Sprint commercials)
• TE: Zach Miller (already unloading for some RB depth)
• K: Nick Folk
• DEF: Indianapolis
• DEF: Seattle (not keeping this one for long either)

I think I got a solid team- I’m good with WRs but not on RBs- I hope to shore up with some upside guys once my extra TE and DEF clear waivers.

So after drafting three teams for the season here are some interesting trends I’ve noticed:

• Thomas Jones is on all three of my teams: I feel that he has nowhere to go but up after last season and Brett Favre is going to help the running game.
• Tony Romo is on two of my teams: not afraid of that- he’ll be a stud.
• Rashard Mendenhall and Chris Perry are on two of my teams: I had a list of upside/sleeper picks and I’m glad I got a couple of them- I am higher on Perry make an impact but most of all, I tried not to reach too much for them.
• Santonio Holmes. Donald Driver, and Jerricho Cotchery are on two of my teams: each of these recievers I feel are going to break out/do well based on what I’ve seen from their QBs. I think Rodgers will target Driver more and the increased play of Favre and Big Ben will mean good things for Holmes and Cotchery.
• I drafted Ricky Williams twice: I dumped him in my diet Yahoo! league but what can I say? I’m a sucker for his upside even though in reality it should be taken with a grain of salt.
• Nobody likes Edgerrin James: In the two leagues that were live drafted- people stayed away from him. Is he getting that old? Is he on the verge of a bad season?
• In my Sportsline league I have both NY running backs: great I might as well wear a Yankees hat.
• I now hate Lee Evans and Joey Galloway: Last year I had them both in my work league and I was excited at first- I felt they were both sleeper types that could blow up. Boy was I wrong. Galloway did fine as my #3 WR but I dropped Evans… then he got snatched up when he got warmer in the 2nd half. I now avoid them like the plague.

This Sunday I’ll have my Week 1 matchups- can’t wait to get football started!

Tags: braylon edwards, chad johnson, chris perry, colts, dallas clark, donald driver, fantasy football, jerricho cotchery, joey galloway, kurt warner, ladanian tomlinson, lee evans, nate burleson, nick folk, rashard mendenhall, ricky williams, santonio holmes, thomas jones, tony romo, zach miller